The battle for urban development (Atlanta, Reynolds: house, refrigerator, buying)

[glovenyc]

Originally Posted by piggytoes

I never used one of those car seat carriers. My kids were in the Bjorn until they were old enough for strollers. But, yeah, I can see that that would be a problem.

I came from a place where the parking, if there was any, was way tighter than it is here, so I don't have the same perspective. Still, I hear you.

Exactly PiggyToes, I am from Queens also and up in NYC we get excited about any available parking, period. I guess it's all about expectations, and how those expectations are managed based on your environment.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by RoslynHolcomb

If the development is only for the people who live nearby, why bother with parking at all? Problem solved. No congestion. No traffic. Probably no people either, but it sure LOOKS nice.

Probably because nobody wants to walk home carrying the six foot ladder, 24 pack of bottled water, two gallons of paint, and 12 roll pack of paper towels they just bought.

[cqholt]

I have found the reason for her thought:

I remember a place like that back in Huntsville.

See they don't believe in walkability and transit in Alabama. I know because I lived in Florence and Birmingham. Huntsville is the ultimate car-oriented, suburban sprawl city. Just try driving down University Drive anytime of the day.

Probably because nobody wants to walk home carrying the six foot ladder, 24 pack of bottled water, two gallons of paint, and 12 roll pack of paper towels they just bought.

You can rent ZipCars for that! They are available at both Inman Park/Reynoldstown and Edgewood/Candler Park Stations.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by cqholt

You can rent ZipCars for that! They are available at both Inman Park/Reynoldstown and Edgewood/Candler Park Stations.

Right. Look, people are going to drive no matter what, so there will be some parking. Roslyn's suggestion that there shouldn't be any parking at all is just silly, and comes across as sour grapes because even though she lives nowhere near Glenwood, the people who DO live there don't want the type of developments they build in the suburbs.

[chiatldal]

Originally Posted by RoslynHolcomb

If the development is only for the people who live nearby, why bother with parking at all? Problem solved. No congestion. No traffic. Probably no people either, but it sure LOOKS nice.

The problem is, it's not design for just the people near by it, it's design for a significant amount of people to travel to. By building a big box it's encouraging traffic. All this in a neighborhood that suppose to be walkable.

And see your so fix into the idea of commercial and residential being separate your forgetting people don't live in walkable distance to big box stores which cause the use of cars in the first places. Would your grandma travel across a busy main road and across a large parking to go to Walmart? Mix use brings up the density there would be more people near by to answer your consumer concern. You missing the point.

Originally Posted by glovenyc

Exactly PiggyToes, I am from Queens also and up in NYC we get excited about any available parking, period. I guess it's all about expectations, and how those expectations are managed based on your environment.

Yeah it because this is the sunbelt we have enough parking surfaces on the other note we get excited when stuff is in walking distance.

[cqholt]

Right. Look, people are going to drive no matter what, so there will be some parking.

And that's what parking garages will do.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by JPD

Probably because nobody wants to walk home carrying the six foot ladder, 24 pack of bottled water, two gallons of paint, and 12 roll pack of paper towels they just bought.

Just to play devil's advocate:

-If you live in an apartment/condo building, what use is there in having a six foot ladder?
-Instead of buying 24 packs of water you can instead buy water filters that attach to the faucet and keep a reusable bottle to carry around or utilize a water delivery service.
-A 12 roll pack of paper towels weighs what, three pounds tops? One can easily walk several blocks carrying that.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

Just to play devil's advocate:

-If you live in an apartment/condo building, what use is there in having a six foot ladder? Changing lightbulbs. Trimming tall hedges. Hanging artwork. About a million other uses. Most people who live near there own their homes, so they might be able to find a use for a ladder once in a while. Is there anything people won't argue about these days?
-Instead of buying 24 packs of water you can instead buy water filters that attach to the faucet and keep a reusable bottle to carry around or utilize a water delivery service.
-A 12 roll pack of paper towels weighs what, three pounds tops? One can easily walk several blocks carrying that. It's not the weight, it's the size.

Are you one of those zero parking spaces zealots?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by RoslynHolcomb

This is especially true if you make it darned near impossible to use a stroller which parking garages do. What's pedestrian friendly about that?

Roslyn, I said this before but I truly don't understand the conflict between strollers and a parking deck (unless it's a poorly designed one).

A well designed deck will have plenty of handicapped spaces right near the store entrances. They'll allow ample room to load and unload, and there will be elevators only a few steps away.

Check out the interior parking deck at Lenox Marketplace, for example. It's easy in and out an all four sides of the shopping center.

I much prefer that arrangement when I'm handling a car seat, stroller or wheelchair versus attempting to traverse some big surface lot.

Plus you avoid the boiling sun and never get rained on!

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by JPD

Changing lightbulbs. Trimming tall hedges. Hanging artwork. About a million other uses. Most people who live near there own their homes, so they might be able to find a use for a ladder once in a while. Is there anything people won't argue about these days?

I have a three foot tall step ladder that can accomplish those things (minus trimming hedges since I live in a condo building and don't do that). For jobs that require something, I've never lived in a building where the maintenance guy didn't have a tall ladder. Either they'll do it for you or you can borrow it.

Really, I see only see the need to own a tall ladder if you own a single family home. Considering the context of your post, no one is buying one of those every week or even every year. It's a one time purchase if you don't by a piece of crap, so if someone who did not have access to a car to carry one back to their house after purchasing it, they most likely could ask for a favor from a friend to get back home.

Originally Posted by JPD

It's not the weight, it's the size.

For that problem there are grocery carts or you could tie a piece of rope around it to give you better leverage. Even Target offers (at least the one by my house) these strips of heavy duty tape with a nonstick part in the middle that will allow you to easily carry a large package of paper towels or tissues.

Originally Posted by JPD

Are you one of those zero parking spaces zealots?

Not at all. My family is from NYC, so I know the pain of having to circle blocks for HOURS looking for an available place to park. It's unrealistic to expect any city in 2012 to not accommodate automobiles in the United States. Even in the much ballyhooed Northeast where quite commonly people start conversations off with "I found the most awesome parking spot today!" or get in to fist fights over who was to the parking space first.

However, I think there are smarter ways of doing it and I absolutely abhor big open parking lots (and small one's too) since they are basically a waste of space in urban environments. Even if nothing is built on them they could be something more useful a larger amount of people such as a park or garden. There is also the role they play in disconnecting (people like myself) pedestrians from their environment. And while we're talking about environment, NASA studies have shown that open air parking lots have an adverse affect on our climate as in the case of the so called Atlanta heat island.